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The Shadow of Your Smile

Review

Monica Farrell is a pediatrician in a small New York hospital.
She is single, lives alone, and is completely devoted to her work.
As far as Monica knows, she has no living relatives and has
adjusted to that state of affairs well. Her father was an adopted
child with no knowledge of his birth family. When he was alive, he
was very anxious to find out any information about where he came
from.

Matriarch Olivia Morrow is 82 years old and has just been told
she is on the threshold of death. She has a secret she’s been
keeping for decades and must decide if she should reveal it or take
it to her grave. She has information that pertains to
Monica’s father that could also change Monica’s life.
The proof is in the form of letters from her cousin, Sister
Catherine.

Sister Catherine is being considered for beatification, and the
secret she has in her possession could turn this small world upside
down. She was assaulted just before she became a novitiate and gave
birth to a son, who was quickly adopted. What Monica doesn’t
know is that she is the rightful heir to the foundation’s
fortune since her great-grandfather founded Gannon Enterprise.

The Gannons are a rich and philanthropic family. Their moneyed
lives are legendary, and no one has any suspicion that things are
not on the up and up. Gannon Enterprise has told the hospital that
they will grant them millions of dollars in order to expand and
offer more services to the neighborhood. But then they suddenly
withdraw their offer. The young turks of the family and some
members of the board have squandered away millions of dollars and
will stop at nothing to keep this from going public.

One of the main subplots in THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE is the role
of faith and the possibility of miracles in peoples’ lives.
Monica has a young patient with terminal brain cancer. No medical
procedure can save his life, yet his mother vows he will not die.
She says she will pray to Sister Catherine, who is known for her
care and healing of children. The family decides that prayer will
cure the cancer, and it does. No one in the medical field,
regardless of specialty, can account for the enormous brain tumor
disappearing. Is it a miracle?

In her Acknowledgements, Mary Higgins Clark says, “…
I attended the Beatification Ceremony of a nun who founded seven
hospitals for the aged and infirm and is credited, by the power of
prayer, with saving the life of a child.” She goes on to
relate: “This story concerns a … miracle, one that
medical science cannot explain.” This unforgettable
experience inspired her to write THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE. As
always, she gives her readers more than they expect. Her prose and
characters are clearly drawn, which makes for delightful reading.
Once again the Queen of Suspense delivers, and I’m hoping we
don’t have to wait too long for her next heart-pounding
bestseller.